Week 29 Jeremiah 10 & Proverbs
Yesterday I was thinking about one of Jeremiah’s comments: our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course. This is a counter-intuitive idea since I generally have a pretty strong feeling that I’m planning my own course. I feel like I’m doing that all the time.
Anyway my bible has a cross-reference in the margin at Jeremiah’s your-life-is-not-your-own verse. So I turned to it and saw this:
We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.
Right beside that verse I had penciled-in several more references that I had found and recorded (it must be several years ago now and I must have been thinking then about whose my life was):
We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall
You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail
The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?
People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart
The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.
The verses I found in Proverbs aren’t all saying I can’t plan my own course. But – like Jeremiah – they’re all aware of the Lord’s input. His involvement & direction & purpose & plans.
It’s easiest to think of myself calling-the-shots. Meaning that if the Lord is calling them too then things get more complicated.
Note: quotes from Jeremiah 10:23 & Proverbs 16:1 33 19:21 20:24 21:2 31 (NLT)